An information table is busy at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles as people seek information on state-provided health insurance. / Reed Saxon, AP

by Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY

by Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- More than three million people have now signed up for private insurance plans through the federal and state health exchanges, the Obama administration announced today.

The numbers include new January enrollees announced by California and New York this week. Those two states by themselves have gained as many enrollees as the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov.

"As our outreach efforts kick into even higher gear, we anticipate these numbers will continue to grow, particularly as we reach even more uninsured young adults so that they know that new options and new ways to help eligible individuals pay for their premium are now available, thanks to the Affordable Care Act," Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote in a blog.

Almost 1.2 million people had enrolled in private insurance through the federal health care exchange from Oct. 1 to Dec. 28. Another 956,000 people had signed up for private insurance through state-based exchanges during that time.

Tavenner said another 6.3 million people have been determined eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, the government-based health insurance program for children.

About 500,000 people enrolled in private plans in California from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. On Tuesday, officials announced another 125,000 people had signed up.

"While our objective is to insure all eligible Californians over time, independent estimates for Covered California's subsidy-eligible enrollment by the March 31 deadline range between 487,000 and 696,000,"said Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee. "These impressive numbers for the first half of open enrollment and the continued momentum in January tell us we are on track to meeting, if not beating, those enrollment estimates as we continue to pick up steam."

In New York, 100,000 people have signed up since Jan. 1, said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health. Prior to that, 230,624 people had signed up.

"We are very pleased with our overall results to date as well, with almost 330,000 enrolled, and more than 587,000 people have completed applications since the October 1 launch of the marketplace," she said.